Stevens Votes to Create Nearly One Million New Apprenticeship Opportunities
The National Apprenticeship Act of 2020 passed the U.S. House of Representatives today, with Rep. Stevens’ support.
WASHINGTON — Today, Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11) voted to pass the National Apprenticeship Act of 2020, a bill to create nearly 1 million new apprenticeship opportunities by investing in the expansion of Registered Apprenticeships, youth apprenticeships, and pre-apprenticeships. Congresswoman Stevens, a co-sponsor of the National Apprenticeship Act, helped advance the bill through the Education and Labor Committee earlier this year.
“As a workforce development professional, I know that apprenticeship programs can change lives by opening up new opportunities and giving more people access to a good-paying job,” said Congresswoman Stevens. “The National Apprenticeship Act makes significant investments in our nation’s workforce by creating nearly one million new apprenticeship opportunities over five years. As we live through the deepest economic decline in decades, this legislation would kickstart our economic recovery by expanding programs that are proven to get people back to work.”
The Registered Apprenticeship (RAs) system is America’s most successful federally authorized workforce development program. According to the Department of Labor, 94 percent of people who complete RAs are employed upon completion, earning an average starting wage of above $70,000 annually. Yet, according to the most recent data, only 0.3 percent of the overall workforce in America have completed an apprenticeship.
During a time of record unemployment, the National Apprenticeship Act of 2020 invests more than $3.5 billion over 5 years in expanding opportunities and access to Registered Apprenticeships, youth apprenticeships, and pre-apprenticeships. The proposal would create nearly 1 million new apprenticeship opportunities on top of the current expected growth of the apprenticeship system. It would also yield $10.6 billion in net benefits to U.S. taxpayers in the form of increased workers productivity and decreased spending on public-assistance programs and unemployment insurance.
Click HERE for a fact sheet on the National Apprenticeship Act of 2020.
###